A 17-year-old student, Samuel Onyeme, was allegedly assaulted and locked in a dog cage on Sunday after visiting his classmate, Miss Anastasia Celestine, at her family residence.
The incident reportedly occurred at 6:00 pm when Samuel, a Senior Secondary School student of Redeemers International High School, Asaba, Delta State, went to see Anastasia following her invitation.
Recounting the ordeal on Monday, Mrs. Onyeme, Samuel’s mother, described the incident as a traumatic experience.
She said, “My son, Samuel, a 17-year-old Senior Secondary student of Redeemers International High School, Asaba, Delta State, on Sunday, visited his classmate, Anastasia Celestine, at her residence after she invited him.
“My son said they were having a discussion outside the house of Mr. Celestine when he was brutally assaulted by her father and his two sons.
“They attacked him on the street, dragged him into their compound, and inflicted severe physical injuries on him. You see his head, he said they used wooden planks and locked him inside a dog cage.
“During the assault, they confiscated his mobile phone and called me (mother) deceiving me into coming to the scene. Upon my arrival, I was deprived of seeing him for two hours.”
Mrs. Onyeme added that her daughter, Jessica, who tried to intervene, was also assaulted by members of the Celestine family while attempting to re-enter the compound.
“The situation escalated when Ben, the other of my sons, who is the elder brother to Samuel, contacted a family friend, who then reached out to a human rights organisation before they mobilised police, officers were mobilised to rescue Samuel from the dog cage around 10:00 pm that night,” she explained.
A human rights activist involved in the case,Victor Ojei, condemned the incident as “barbaric and inhumane.”
According to him, a petition has been filed with the Delta State Police Command, urging an immediate investigation and prosecution of Mr. Celestine and his sons.
The petition, addressed to the Commissioner of Police and copied to the Attorney General of Delta State and the National Human Rights Commission, accused the Celestine family of kidnapping, unlawful detention, assault, and attempted murder.
“One Onyeme Ben contacted a family friend, who then reached out to our organisation. Following our report to the Delta State Police, officers were mobilised, and Master Onyeme Samuel was rescued from the dog cage around 10:00 pm that night,” Ojei noted.
He further highlighted the violations under Nigerian law, stating, “Based on the above facts, Mr. Celestine and his sons have committed criminal offences which include unlawful detention of Mrs. Onyeme Onome for two hours against her will, and the forcible confinement of Master Onyeme Samuel in a dog cage from 6:00 pm to 10:00 pm. which contravenes Section 364 of the Criminal Code Act.
“The brutal assault on Master Onyeme Samuel using wooden planks, resulting in multiple injuries and psychological trauma, is a violation of Section 355 of the Criminal Code Act.
“Attempted murder; threats to pour fuel and set Master Onyeme Samuel ablaze amount to attempted murder under Section 320 of the Criminal Code Act.”
Samuel is currently receiving medical care at the Asaba Specialist Hospital for injuries and psychological trauma sustained during the ordeal.
When contacted, the state’s Police Public Relations Officer, SP Bright Edafe, stated that he had not yet received a report on the matter.
